Not every waste is trash!

Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services (VSHS) organized an event titled “Environmental Legislation and Zero Waste.” The program, attended by Environmental Engineer Arzu Tuskaya, covered the university’s environmental consultancy processes, proper waste identification at the source, and compliance with environmental regulations. Tuskaya emphasized that they monitor the environmental impacts of all activities carried out across the campuses and that the goal of this training is to help students recognize different waste types and manage them correctly. Highlighting that not every waste is trash, Tuskaya noted that each waste type is governed by a separate regulation.

The event took place at Üsküdar University’s Çarşı Campus, Emirnebi 1 Conference Hall, with the participation of Environmental Engineer Arzu Tuskaya from Akçevre Consultancy, VSHS academics, and students.

“We work to ensure legal responsibilities are fulfilled”

Explaining that they oversee Üsküdar University’s environmental consultancy processes, Environmental Engineer Arzu Tuskaya stated: “As Ak Çevre Consultancy, we manage the university’s environmental consultancy processes. You can think of this as similar to how OHS specialists provide guidance on occupational safety. In accordance with the procedures under the Environmental Law, we coordinate between the Ministry of Environment and the university, working to ensure that all legal responsibilities are fulfilled. We are now in our third year at the university. During this time, we have monitored all activities conducted on each campus, their environmental impacts, and all resulting waste. We now know the university very well, but this is the first time we are carrying out such a planning session with students.”

“Medical waste is extremely critical for us”

Emphasizing the importance of correctly identifying waste, Tuskaya continued: “You also need to recognize the waste you generate, classify it correctly, and manage it properly. The essence of our work is to identify the waste arising both in daily life and during your activities, and to ensure that it is managed correctly.”

“There is a separate regulation for every type of waste”

Underscoring once more that not every waste is trash, Tuskaya stated: “The main purpose of this training is to introduce you to different types of waste. Since we operate under the Ministry of Environment, all the concepts we use are based on the technical definitions found in the Environmental Law. You will see that many things commonly referred to as ‘trash’ in daily life are actually different types of waste. Each waste type has its own name, description, and management procedure. In fact, there is a separate regulation for every type of waste.”

The program concluded with a Q&A session followed by a group photo.